powerfuldog

Hey guys,

I am now choosing between Penn/Dartmouth (would honestly be happy to go to either school) and Rutgers, the state college of New Jersey. Rutgers is offering me a full ride whereas Dartmouth and Penn are asking for 30,000 per year.

My family is middle class, maybe upper middle class-combined annual income of around 120,000.

I want to enter finance, Wall Street, etc. and I was wondering if spending the 30,000 per year for an Ivy was worth it. Many people have told me an ivy offers invaluable opportunities to network, contact big companies, etc.

So, here's what it boils down to:

1) Should I do Rutgers undergrad instead of Penn/Dartmouth and
2) If I do an Ivy, should I choose Penn CAS or Dartmouth


THANKS a ton, guys!

sybbie719

NO, the really big question is how do your parents feel about paying 30k out of pocket?

Are they in a position to do so with out a lot of financial hardship or a lot of debt?

Do you have a true "full ride" (which in my opinion includes tuition, room, board, books, etc). or just full OOS tuition?

Is your Rutgers package guaranteed for 4 years?

What are your parent's thoughts on this?

T26E4

Contact Fin Aid office of Dartmouth and Penn. Let them know your dilemma and see if they might be able to move a little closer. It can't hurt. Good luck to you

gamegeek2

If you want to do finance, an Ivy education is basically a ticket to the top. Unless you're into Wharton, I'd recommend Dartmouth for finance. I suppose, as a '16, I am somewhat biased though

goldenboy8784

Rutgers is not even on the same planet as Dartmouth or Penn in terms of undergraduate reputation. I think the $120,000 is worth paying in this case.

phuriku

If you're going into finance, the $120k is probably worth it. You'll more than make up for that amount with the extra $$$ you'll make from jobs you'll get from your connections at Dartmouth.

lacrossemom

Take first two years at your state and then transfer to Dartmouth later. If you got in as undergrad, you might also get in as tranafer and save the 60k delta.

Do extremely well your first two years as you take the basics for finance. You might even find that there are significant benefits of being at the top of your class and standing out at Rutgers.

Again this is just my opinion. Yoy should contact financial aid and see if they can help more with your package.

Good luck.

Consolation

Very unrealistic. It is even more difficult to transfer into a school like D or Penn than it is to get in in the first place. Your chances of transferring in are so small as to be virtually nil.

There are certain careers where a degree from an elite school is really important. Want to be a commodities trader? Probably fine to go to Rutgers. Want to be a consultant at McKinsey or a partner at Goldman Sachs? Much more likely to happen if you go to D.

All of sybbie's questions in #2 need answering before you and your family can make a reasonable decision.

bluebayou

sybbie is spot-on (as usual). According to Rutger's website, they do offer full rides (Presidential scholly worth $24k, the COA) to instaters. But OOS COA is $36k. Is Rutgers going to cover the additional $12k per year?

And yes, Econ at Dartmouth is far superior to Rutgers, particularly for finance and The Street. (I'm guessing that Penn-CAS plays second fiddle to Wharton.)